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Lat 46.9165° N
Long 103.5262° W
Elevation2,215 – 2,855 ft

North Dakota · Stamp 46 / 63

Theodore Roosevelt

National Park · Established 1978

The only national park named for a person, honoring the badlands that reshaped a future president's life.

Area70,447 acres
TrailheadMedora, North Dakota
Visitors700k / yr
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Live · South Unit & North Unit both open The two main units are roughly 70 miles apart by road 1 active alert 72°F · little shade on badlands trails Live layer, from the National Park Service
Best windowMay–Sep for full access · fall for milder heat Getting there40 min from Dickinson · 1 hr from Williston Fee$30 / vehicle · 7 days, covers both units
★★★★★ 4.9 from 1 travelers 1 visitor stories 700k annual visitors Grounded in live NPS data
Theodore Roosevelt · Mile 01 · The Story

The badlands that made
a president.

Theodore Roosevelt is the only national park named for a single person, and the choice wasn't arbitrary: Roosevelt came to these North Dakota badlands in the 1880s after personal tragedy, and later credited the ranching life he lived here with reshaping his character. "I never would have been President had it not been for my experience in North Dakota," he wrote, and the conservation legacy he built as president, five national parks, 150 national forests, and roughly 230 million acres of protected land, traces directly back to what he saw happen to the open range and its wildlife here.

The park is split into three units: the South Unit near Medora, the North Unit an hour and change away, and the roadless Elkhorn Ranch Unit where Roosevelt's second home once stood. A free-roaming bison herd is nearly guaranteed viewing in either main unit, along with wild horses in the South Unit and prairie dog towns easy enough that one is nicknamed the Prairie Dog Metropolis.

Come for the badlands and the bison. Stay long enough to understand why this specific landscape changed a president's mind about conservation. Read the story, trust the live data above for what is open today, and when you leave, collect the stamp.

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“
I never would have been President had it not been for my experience in North Dakota.
Theodore Roosevelt, reflecting on his years ranching in the badlands
Bison of the Badlands
"The mountains are calling and I must go."
John Muir
Theodore Roosevelt · Mile 02 · The Essentials

Best Things to Do in Theodore Roosevelt

Six ways to spend your time, from a scenic drive thick with bison to the ranch site that changed a president.

Do

Drive the South Unit Scenic Loop

A 36-mile loop road with reliable bison and wild horse sightings, along with several short overlook walks.

The signature drive
See

Painted Canyon Overlook

A sweeping badlands view right off the interstate, one of the most photographed spots in the park.

Everyone · 20 min
Explore

Maltese Cross Cabin

Roosevelt's original ranch cabin, relocated to the South Unit visitor center, furnished with some of his own belongings.

Everyone · 30 min
Do

Drive the North Unit’s 14-Mile Scenic Drive

A quieter, more dramatic drive than the South Unit, ending at the Oxbow Overlook above the Little Missouri River.

Half day · fewer crowds
See

Prairie Dog Metropolis

One of the largest prairie dog towns in the park, an easy and reliable wildlife stop near the South Unit entrance.

Families · 20 min
Do

Watch for wild horses

A free-roaming herd of wild horses lives in the South Unit, descended from ranch stock and ridden by no one.

Everyone · no guarantee
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Plan Your Theodore Roosevelt Trip

Answer a few questions right here — we'll map your day, stop by stop, with a route, timings, weather, and a packing checklist grounded in real park data. No account, no leaving this page.

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Field-guide posters and the passport book, from our shop.
When the Crowds ComeMonthly visitors · tap a year
Illustrative shape · wires to official NPS visitation stats · summer peaks shown in gold
Painted Canyon
"Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit."
Edward Abbey
Theodore Roosevelt · Mile 03 · Trails & Viewpoints

Best Hikes in Theodore Roosevelt, by Difficulty

Every trail rated honestly, with distance, climb, and a note on which unit each one belongs to.

Wind Canyon Trail

Easy
0.4 mi+80 ft~20 min

A short climb to a wind-carved overlook of the Little Missouri River, one of the best short walks in the South Unit. No permit.

Ridgeline Nature Trail

Easy–Mod
0.6 mi+150 ft~30 min

A short loop near the South Unit visitor center with badlands views and interpretive signage. No permit.

Buck Hill

Easy
0.2 mi+80 ft~15 min

A short walk to a 360-degree panorama, one of the best viewpoints in the South Unit for minimal effort. No permit.

Petrified Forest Loop Trail

Moderate
10 mi+700 ft~5 hr

A longer loop through a remote petrified forest, one of the quieter and more remote trails in the South Unit. No permit.

River Bend Overlook Trail

Easy
0.5 miflat~20 min

A short walk in the North Unit to a stone shelter built in the 1930s, overlooking a bend in the Little Missouri River. No permit.

Permit · overnight camping

Achenbach Trail (North Unit)

Strenuous
18 mi+1,500 ft1–2 days

A longer backcountry loop through the North Unit's more remote badlands. Free permit required only for overnight camping.

No permit for day hikes · free backcountry permits for overnight camping · South and North Units are roughly 70 miles apart by road

Theodore Roosevelt National Park at a Glance
1  South Unit Visitor Center
2  North Unit Visitor Center
3  Wind Canyon Trail
4  Painted Canyon Overlook
5  Maltese Cross Cabin
6  Oxbow Overlook
Stops shown in visit order. Build a plan above and this map updates to your exact stops.
Theodore Roosevelt · Mile 04 · Life in the Badlands

Wildlife in Theodore Roosevelt: Animals You Might See

Tap any animal to learn its story. Soon, the app will let you log what you spot and keep a life list for every park.

Herds roam freely throughout both main units, sometimes crossing park roads closely enough to cause a full traffic stop.

A free-roaming herd descended from historic ranch stock lives in the South Unit, unmanaged and unridden.

Lives in large, visible burrow towns throughout the park, with one especially large colony nicknamed the Prairie Dog Metropolis.

Reintroduced to the North Unit's rugged terrain, working the steep badlands slopes there.

Hunts the open badlands terrain for small mammals, occasionally visible riding thermals above the canyons.

Found throughout both units, most active at dawn, dusk, and through the night.

Present throughout the park's grasslands and badlands, a genuine reason to stay alert on and off trail.

Plant Life in Theodore Roosevelt: What Grows Here

Scattered throughout parts of the South Unit, the fossilized remains of an ancient forest that once stood in this region.

Common in the park's mixed-grass prairie sections, adding yellow color each summer.

Found throughout the drier badlands terrain, blooming bright yellow in early summer.

Lines the Little Missouri River through both units, providing the park's most reliable shade near the water.

Common on the drier slopes throughout the park, its tall flower stalks a distinctive early-summer sight.

Found on the cooler, north-facing badlands slopes throughout the park, tolerant of the region's harsh winters.

Fun Facts About Theodore Roosevelt

Fact 01

Theodore Roosevelt is the only national park named for a single person in the entire National Park System.

Fact 02

As president, Roosevelt created five national parks, 150 national forests, and roughly 230 million acres of protected public land.

Fact 03

The park is split into three units, with the South and North Units roughly 70 miles apart by road and the Elkhorn Ranch Unit reachable only by unpaved roads.

Fact 04

The park's free-roaming wild horse herd in the South Unit descends from historic ranch stock and remains entirely unmanaged.

Theodore Roosevelt · Provisions
Gear for this parkvia AvantLink
Wide-brim sun hatREI
3L hydration packOsprey
Binoculars for wildlife viewingBackcountry
Stay nearbyvia Hipcamp
Badlands sites near Medora
Ten minutes from the South Unit entrance, badlands views included, from $22 a night.
Free Theodore Roosevelt checklistdigital · $0
The printable trail and packing checklist in the field-guide style. Take it, join the trail list.
Theodore Roosevelt · Mile 05 · From the Field Journal

Go Deeper on Theodore Roosevelt

Stories, guides, and hard-won tips from the trail. The full Theodore Roosevelt deep dive lives on the journal.

Wildlife

Finding Bison and Wild Horses: A Practical Guide

Read the guide →
Trip Planning

South Unit vs. North Unit: Which to Visit First

Read the guide →
Itinerary

1 Perfect Day in Theodore Roosevelt: South Unit Loop

Read the guide →
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Sponsored · Park Hub
Free Theodore Roosevelt checklist
The printable trail and packing list, in the field-guide style.
★Theodore RooseveltPark Hub · Collected
Your passport

One stamp,
one story.

Log the visit, keep your story, and watch the map of all sixty-three fill in behind you. Every stamp has a keepsake worth holding.

Theodore Roosevelt · Mile 06 · Where to Next

Keep the Journey Going

Next park

Badlands

South across the state line: from one badlands landscape shaped by a president to another shaped by erosion alone.

Open Stamp 31 → The collection

All 63 Parks

See the full map and track every stamp you have earned.

View the map → Plan

Build a Trip

Turn Theodore Roosevelt into a road trip with a custom, day-by-day itinerary.

Start planning → Go deeper

The Theodore Roosevelt Deep Dive

The long-form guide: every trail, season, and secret, on the journal.

Read it →
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Seventeen parks remain
"The parks do not belong to one state or to one section... they belong as much to the man of Massachusetts, of Michigan, of Florida, as they do to the people of California, of Wyoming, and of Arizona."
Stephen Mather · first director of the National Park Service
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